One of the great parts about Hoonah is that they have refused to go full tourist, whereas many other cruise ports similar to them are bought by cruise lines. Not Hoonah. And they are very proud of this. It’s appealing to see their small town as it always has been, without a cluster of gimmick shops that all seem to sell the same shirt.

Though it’s a small port, there’s quite a bit to do. We started the morning with an excursion (Salmon Bake). This featured the preparation and cooking of salmon and halibut. You can read all about it here - I’d highly recommend it.

The second excursion we chose was the ATV tour. Two on an ATV, they take you on a bus to a separate part of the island - the drive is fun because it’s like a little tour of the actual community. The drive featured several bald eagles and totem poles, followed by urban legends by the driver.

The ATV tour itself was a bit disappointing. They basically promised bear sightings, considering there are 4,400 bears on the small island, yet we saw none. And apparently this wasn’t a fluke, as others that did the excursion didn’t see any either. The ride up the mountain was fun, and the lookout was pretty once we reached the top, but there wasn’t much else to it.

That being said, I would not recommend spending your money on this excursion. If you choose to (in hopes to see bears), your best bet is to sign up for the earliest ride.

Looking for other things to do in Alaska?